History of Bridges Interview of stockholmer teenagers : « I take bus-boat everyday »
Mar 06, 2016
History of Bridges
Interview of stockholmerteenagers : « I take bus-boat
everyday »
This month, we are going to study the role of thewater in Stockholm, and its impacts on theStockholmer lives. Let’s remind us thatStockholm is the capital and the largest city ofSweden. With it 847 070 inhabitants, it is also themost populated area in Scandinavia.
But the particularity of Stockholm, which is themain reason for its difference from many othercities in the world, is that it’s an archipelagoconstituted of 14 islands. The water occupies avery big place in Stockholm, and has animportant role in the lives of the Stockolmers.
THE 50 BRIDGES IN STOCKHOLM
To move along Stockholm, we can count more than 50
bridges which link the 14 islands. They are very present
in Stockholm : the historical name for Stockholm Old
Town was “Staden mellan broarna”(The city between
the bridges).
A little point of History :
In a urban code dated 1350, King Magnus IV prescribed the
bridges leading over Norrström and Söderström to be built
and maintained by the city of Stockholm together with six
other cities surrounding Lake Mälaren. But these first
bridges were simple wooden bridges, and they were no more
than a few meters high.
In the 17th century, bridges were built in the north and south
of Gamla stan, on Norrmalm and Södermalm, and at the end
of the century, the number of bridges in Stockholm has
grown considerably. In the 20th century, the bridges became
more modern, safer, and they were made to let the boats pass
under. But still today, if we are looking carefully, we can
notice that some bridges are still old and are not tall enough,
so that the boats can’t pass under.
If you have a walk in
the city, as all the
Stockholmers, you’ll
surely cross lots of
bridges. As Isabelle,
18 years old, said,
“Every morning, I
have to cross four
bridges to join my
highschool”.
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The boatsBecause of the water, boats are
used a lot in the city :
The tourists can discover the city
on board of special boats that
travel along Stockholm. Many
organisms offer to the tourists
circuits based on their interest to
visit the city, and the archipelago
in the suburbs, composed of
30 000 islands.
(If you are interested, see on your
left the addresses of some
organisms).
But the use of the boats is not
reserved for the tourists; the
Stockholmers often use the boat,
like they use metro and bus. They
can use the same pass as the metro
one. There are many stations so
they can go to different places in
the entire city. Even if during
winter, the frequency is limited,
Stockholmers use boats in their
everyday life.
Stockholms-Visitors
BoardThey offer excursions to
visit the archipelago on
boat, to join them : +46
(0)8-508 28 508
They offer touristic
visits of the city :
VisitSweden, Stortorget 24
SE-831 30 Östersund,
Sweden
We recommend you the agency City Discover if
you want to discover the bridges by boat. The
excusions last 2 hours and you pass under 15
bridges. It’s free for children under 10. More
informations on +46794977564
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The unusual things you can do
in the archipelago of Stockholm
SWIM
Yes, it is possible to swim in the centre of
the city! In town and surrounding area, there
are many beaches where you can have
sunbath. As Carl, 17 years old, says,
“teenagers of Stockholm go to these beaches
which are in downtown to spend good time
swimming with friends very often during
summer, even if the water is not very hot”.
Långholmsbadet Strand, Rålambshovsbadet and
Reimersholme count among the most popular
beaches. Of course, they are only open in summer.
If you want to swim quiet, you can still find a rock
just for you, right in town!
SPORTS
Even in winter, the presence of water offers many
possibilities for the Stockholmers. Indeed, when the
waters are iced, they can do many sports, like Ice
skating and cross country skiing. Even hiking, on the
ice, is done quite often by those who like field sports.
NB : These sports on natural ice are very dangerous and
require specific knowledge and equipment. If you want to
practise them, you have to rent special equipment and
follow an experimented guide. You can practise in the
center or in one of the stages of the city, and to book a
guide, you can call the organism of Kungsträdgården at
+4686220431.
Alice, a Stockholm teenager
met in Gamla Stan, also told
that once, she went to school
just walking on the ice of the
lake that separated her house
from her school !
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The presence of water offers to Stockholmvery beautiful landscapes, which attract all thenature lovers. For this reason, Stockholm is avery touristic city, with 7 million tourists eachyear. It’s also a true source of inspiration forthe photographers and painters.
.In another way, the presence of water makesthe Stockholmer buy summerhouses inStockholm, in small islands far from the center.They buy houses to pass their holidays nearbeaches, in a peaceful suburb. For this reason,we can say again that the water plays a majorrole in the economy of Stockholm.
THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Summerhouse in Vaxholm
Did you know it?The watercourses in
Stockholm used to be
used as refuse dumps
and latrines, which caused
the epidemic of
cholera and many
other diseases. In 1860,
things started to
change, and the water
was purified with special
plants. Today, the access to
fresh water in Stockholm
is excellent.
- In your everyday life, what is the place of
water ?
E: I cross bridges every day to get to school,
and I live near a lake.
-Do you take the bus-boat often ?
L : -Yes,often in the holidays, and sometimes
during the year.
E : -No I don’t use it very often because I
live in the center so I don’t need to.
- Do you do something special on ice
waters ?
L : I sometimes walk on the ice, and my
parents go skiing on the ice every week-end
in winter.
- And in summer, what do you do ?
E : -We love to go to beaches with friends
and swim ! Our favorite is Reimersholme.
Interview of Lisa and Elisabeth,
two young Stockolmers
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